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CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 7, 2014

'Twin Peaks' to return for limited series on Showtime in 2016

"Twin Peaks," the murder mystery television series that drew audiences and critical praise in the 1990s, will make its return with creators David Lynch and Mark Frost on premium cable channel Showtime in 2016, the network said on Monday.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Oct 6, 2014

Range of services rush to fill gaps in Japan's after-school care market

As the government moves to widen access for older children, the private sector offers flexibility and a focus on areas such as English and sports.
BASKETBALL
Oct 5, 2014

Ide guides Cinq Reves past Broncos

Yuji Ide emerged as a team catalyst for the Tokyo Cinq Reves last season.
EDITORIALS
Oct 5, 2014

Unprepared for green electricity

It was hoped that the feed-in tariff system introduced in 2012 would help revitalize local economies and reduce Japan's dependence on nuclear power. Recently, though, one power company after another has announced it will stop purchasing electricity generated by solar, wind, geothermal and smaller hydro power sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 5, 2014

U.S.-China partnership without tears or fears

In his new book, 'World Order,' Henry Kissinger wants you to accept what he believes is the 21st reality of China in a 'partnership' with the U.S. He warns that a purely military definition of the Asian balance of power 'will shade into confrontation.'
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 5, 2014

Ancient Oregon caves may upend understanding of humans in the Americas

A network of caves in rural Oregon may be the oldest site of human habitation in the Americas, suggesting that an ancient human population reached what is now the United States at the end of the last Ice Age, Oregon officials said on Friday.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 4, 2014

Unburdening oneself of life's possessions

Japanese often cite an old aphorism that goes, "Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu" ("It is a foolish bird that defiles its own nest"). This can be taken to mean that a departing person should not leave behind a mess.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 4, 2014

Islamic State beheads second British hostage, issues video

Islamic State militants beheaded British aid worker Alan Henning in a video posted on Friday, triggering swift condemnation by the British and U.S. governments.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Japanese officials silent on drama unfolding in Hong Kong

'The future of Hong Kong is extremely important to the future of Japan,' but Tokyo is officially staying tight-lipped about the pro-democracy protests there.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2014

Problem with President Xi

Chinese President Xi JInping has insisted he won't tolerate any concessions to the calls for electoral and governmental reform now being made in mass demonstrations in Hong Kong. The analogy with the Tiananmen tragedy is now widely made.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 3, 2014

Scientists check the engine of cheetahs, animal world's 'Ferrari'

Cheetahs can aptly be called the race cars of the animal kingdom: sleek, graceful and supremely speedy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 3, 2014

Cuban doctors, nurses head to West Africa to help in Ebola fight

Cuban President Raul Castro has dispatched the first group of 165 Cuban doctors and nurses to West Africa to help combat an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, official media reported on Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2014

North Korea envoy says door is open on nuclear issues, rights, abductees

North Korea is ready to resume six-party talks on its nuclear program but must maintain its readiness in the face of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, a senior envoy in Geneva said on Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2014

'Masterpieces of Kosan-ji Temple'

The Kyoto National Museum recently opened its new Heisei Chishinkan wing with the special exhibition "Kyoto: Splendors of the Ancient Capital," and it is now continuing the celebration with "Masterpieces of Kosan-ji Temple" in its main Meiji Kotokan building.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 2, 2014

Westin marks 20 years in Tokyo; unique accommodation offer; celebrating exquisite French cuisine

Westin marks 20 years in Tokyo
WORLD
Oct 2, 2014

Nazi hunters seek German probe of WWII death squad suspects

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has sent the German government a list of 80 people it believes murdered Jews while serving in Nazi death squads in World War II and who may be still alive, the head of the Israel office of the organization said.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2014

North Korea asks Japanese to go to Pyongyang for abduction briefing

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that North Korea has asked Japanese officials to visit Pyongyang to receive the latest information on its probe into the fate of Japanese abductees.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 30, 2014

Sumitomo shares plunge over huge investment losses

Sumitomo shares post their biggest fall in almost two decades after the trading house said it lost $2.2 billion on investments, including Texas shale oil and Australian coal mining.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2014

Turtle Island's bringing the whole gang to Asagiri Jam

Organized each fall by Fuji Rock promoter Smash, Asagiri Jam is a much more laidback affair than its famed older sister. It features two stages and the music wraps up early each night. And while Fuji Rock has some 200 plus bands, Asagiri Jam only invites two dozen, which means a lot less running around...
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 29, 2014

Condemnation attributed to 'utter nonsense'

Were 'comfort women' sex slaves for Japanese soldiers in World War II? If you recognize that prostitution is largely a form of physical bondage, they were. But forcibly rounding up women for the work would be a different matter. Recently the testimony of a man who claimed to have helped with the roundups was judged to be false, after causing Japan consternation for three decades.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AMBASSADOR VISIT
Sep 29, 2014

Arab ambassadors say Japan's media covers region poorly

Members of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Tokyo said Monday they plan to help Japanese media give a more accurate picture of the region, with a special focus on life in the Arab world and on Arab nations' exchanges with Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2014

Is the Asahi a scapegoat of nationalist media or victim of own missteps?

One of the nation's leading newspapers has been in crisis mode of late — a situation that may bode ill for liberal journalism at a time when nationalism appears to be making public inroads.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2014

Ukraine leader clings to goal of joining EU despite Putin

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has secured a temporary peace in the troubled east which he says gives him a chance to move Ukraine toward its dream of a place in Europe, but Russia's Vladimir Putin still holds cards that could thwart him.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2014

Abe to shift gears as Diet session kicks off

After drawing a storm of criticism and causing controversy with his Cabinet's reinterpretation of the Constitution earlier this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party now look ready to avoid contentious security issues and refocus on revitalizing rural economies during the extraordinary...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2014

Iran has its dissenters on intervention in Iraq

Iran — already struggling to manage a decrepit economy and tricky nuclear negotiations with the international community — now worries about getting in over its head by intervening in Iraq.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014

Read up on books about books about Japan

Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do...

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo